Alternative Schools, No Longer the "Siberia" of the School District

Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #90 – May 14, 2011

I taught for over twenty years at three different traditional public high schools in Southern California. During those years I didn’t know much about the “Alternative High Schools.” What I did know was two things. First, alternative schools were where students (usually juniors or seniors) were sent who were labeled, "at risk," meaning they were in danger of not finishing school because of a deficiency in course credits, pregnancy, or other reasons. Secondly, I knew that none of us teaching at our pristine “regular” high school would ever want to teach at the “Alternative” school. It would be akin to being sentenced to the harsh labor camps in the unwelcoming, frigid atmosphere of Siberia. We actually thought, teachers who taught in Alternative Schools, had been demoted for one reason or another. But, when I learned the truth about Alternative Schools, my eyes were delightfully opened. Here's how that happened.


In more recent years I was appointed to serve on several WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) committees. This is the team that visits and observes at various high schools and determines whether or not to grant State Accreditation to that school and for what period of time. Many of these visits were to “Alternative” high schools.


One realization I had right off the bat was these schools were literally the student’s last chance to get a high school education and earn a diploma. That part I pretty much guessed. But I was not aware that alternative school students actually take advantage of the opportunity and work extremely hard to prove they can be successful.


Many adults assume the students enrolled in Alternative High Schools are the trouble makers, the lazy students or slow learners who have failure written all over their faces. On the contrary, some of these kids are among the brightest I’ve ever met. They simply “march to the tune of a different drum.” Many of them just want a place to learn, where they are respected and accepted for who they are, and the abilities they possess. Alternative schools can be just the place to do that.


Alternative School staff understands when a child is accepted and wanted, great things can happen. And they also understand that acceptance must not only come from the staff; (vertically), it must also come from fellow students (horizontally). In other words, in order for students to feel part of the group, both teachers and students must provide that validation. So Alternative Schools work hard to make that happen by creating a climate for success.


Students do well in these schools because they feel respected by everyone there. There are no cliques like there are in traditional high schools. Everyone talks to everyone else. Students never feel they are being judged by their appearance. Teachers also are non-judgmental. If a student is behind in a subject, they ask for help because they know the teachers won’t make them feel stupid just because they never learned something they probably should have learned a long time ago.


Alternative Schools, as effective as they are, still have challenges. High school students are still young. They have adult thoughts, and do adult things, but they need adult guidance. Students bring problems to school that affect their ability to perform on any given day. These problems need to be acknowledged and treated before the student is ready to learn. Some of these students are virtually homeless and must work in order to survive. Through experience and training, the staff learns to listen to students and watch for signs that indicate present or potential distractions. Then they deal with them right away.


In a recent study on Alternative Schools for the Oregon Department of Education, conducted by Cliff Brush and Bob Jones, they collected the following student statements regarding the care given them by staff at their school:

“They really watch out for us here. After all, we’re still children. Well, we’re really teenagers, but we still need people to take care of us.”

“My teachers notice if I’m having a problem. I don’t even have to say anything. They can tell just by looking at me. They know right away.”

“Sometimes I come in feeling bad. My teachers make me feel better. They make me laugh.”

“If I have a problem and try to hide it, other students can see it and they ask me if I’m all right. After a while you stop saying, ‘Yes,’ and you talk about your problem.”

“I saw a movie on animal rights and mistreatment of animals that really upset me, and the teacher let me stay and talk about it until I was calmed down. I missed the next class, but that was all right with everybody.”

“Teachers don’t just help us with academics. They help us find money for college. They don’t just send application forms home with us. The sit with us and help us fill them out.”

When asked, “Do you have a better idea of what you want to do after high school than you did before,” the vast majority answered, “Yes.” A typical response, “I thought of myself as a dropout. I was comfortable with that. Now, I plan to go to college.”

“This school helps you figure out who you are and what you’re good at.
It makes you think about what you’re going to do with your education.”

[Staff comment] “We’re not teaching them how to be high school students. We’re teaching them to be successful people.”


We know that students learn in different ways and at different speeds. They need staff that are patient with their style and pace of learning and will persevere with the student until learning has occurred. Not every student catches on to what is taught the first time it is presented. This is true for students in traditional schools as well as for students in alternative schools. The difference the alternative school makes, according to students, is that teachers will stick with them until they understand the material.


These final comments from students summarize, in their minds, why the alternative school program is working for them:

“We are like a family at this school. We have family time activities every week.”

“When I come here in the morning, every adult says Hi to me.”

“In my old school, no one noticed me. Here I have a place and I count for something.”

“In other schools it’s like, do this, do it our way. You have no power.”

“We’re all here because we want to be.”

“If I couldn’t go to this school, I’d probably just drop out.”


I can attest to the fact these same ideas and feelings were expressed by students I met within California alternative schools and likely encompass the same reasons these schools are enabling “at risk” high school students throughout our country to achieve the knowledge, the success and the future they almost lost. Perhaps the so called “regular” or “traditional” high schools could learn a thing or two by taking a trip to “Siberia,” and instead of a rigid frozen environment, discover one full of warmth, light and real hope.


Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children. Walt Disney